Jesus' Authority over Demons
Jesus has come to destroy the works of the Devil and display his sovereign authority over the spiritual world.
I. The Demoniac (vv. 1-5)
The ancient Greek manuscripts, translations, and quotations of the New Testament vary among “Gerasenes,” “Gadarenes,” and “Gergesenes.” The same variants appear in the parallels in Matt 8:28; Luke 8:26. “Gerasenes” is probably the original in Mark and Luke, “Gadarenes” in Matthew. The well-known city of Gerasa, however, was some thirty-three miles from Lake Galilee, and it is improbable that its territory extended to the lake.
Kersa is possibly related to the Greek name Gerasa, and there are steep hills and cave-tombs about a mile to the south. If Gerasa is to be identified with Kersa, it was probably in the tetrarchy of Philip (Luke 3:1) but was only a mile or two north of the area known as the Decapolis (v. 20). Uncertainty must remain, however, except for the fact that Mark placed the miracle somewhere on the eastern shore in predominantly Gentile territory.
The “Decapolis” was a loosely connected group of ten Gentile cities that had been set free from Jewish domination by the Roman general Pompey when he occupied Palestine in 63 B.C.
This account, more graphically than any other in the Gospels, indicates that the function of demonic possession is to distort and destroy the image of God in man.
II. The Deliverer (vv. 6-13)
“Son of the Most High God” establishes the uniqueness of Jesus’ position in relation to God Almighty and the universality of his power.
In the eyes of Jesus, the rescue and restoration of one person is more important than vast capital assets. Compared to the redemption of a human being, the loss of the swineherds, considerable though it is, does not rate mentioning.
III. The Drama (vv. 14-17)
IV. The Declaration (vv. 18-20)
The “Decapolis” was a loosely connected group of ten Gentile cities that had been set free from Jewish domination by the Roman general Pompey when he occupied Palestine in 63 B.C.
Pliny the Elder lists them as follows: Damascus, Philadelphia, Raphana, Scythopolis, Gadara, Hippos, Dion, Pella, Gerasa, and Canatha (Harper’s Bible Dictionary 215).
This account, more graphically than any other in the Gospels, indicates that the function of demonic possession is to distort and destroy the image of God in man.
The point of arrival is indicated in a general way as the district of the Gerasenes, most probably in reference to a town whose name is preserved in the modern Kersa or Koursi. At the site of Kersa the shore is level, and there are no tombs. But about a mile further south there is a fairly steep slope within forty yards from the shore, and about two miles from there cavern tombs are found which appear to have been used for dwellings.
The reason for refusal is rather the positive one that this man has an opportunity, which is uniquely his, to spread the news of what God is doing through Jesus of Nazareth among those who have known what he was before, and who therefore cannot ignore the dramatic change which has resulted from his encounter with Jesus. In emphasising this motivation Mark no doubt expects his readers to understand that the same principle applies to others whose lives Jesus has changed, even in less dramatic circumstances.
The “Gerasa” of Mark 5:1 was probably Kursi/Gergesa, which lay within the administrative district of Hippos, one of the major cities of the Decapolis situated on the commanding promontory to the south overlooking the Sea of Galilee.
“Son of the Most High God” establishes the uniqueness of Jesus’ position in relation to God Almighty and the universality of his power.
In the eyes of Jesus, the rescue and restoration of one person is more important than vast capital assets. Compared to the redemption of a human being, the loss of the swineherds, considerable though it is, does not rate mentioning.
The ancient Greek manuscripts, translations, and quotations of the New Testament vary among “Gerasenes,” “Gadarenes,” and “Gergesenes.” The same variants appear in the parallels in Matt 8:28; Luke 8:26. “Gerasenes” is probably the original in Mark and Luke, “Gadarenes” in Matthew. The well-known city of Gerasa, however, was some thirty-three miles from Lake Galilee, and it is improbable that its territory extended to the lake.
Kersa is possibly related to the Greek name Gerasa, and there are steep hills and cave-tombs about a mile to the south. If Gerasa is to be identified with Kersa, it was probably in the tetrarchy of Philip (Luke 3:1) but was only a mile or two north of the area known as the Decapolis (v. 20). Uncertainty must remain, however, except for the fact that Mark placed the miracle somewhere on the eastern shore in predominantly Gentile territory.
The “Decapolis” was a loosely connected group of ten Gentile cities that had been set free from Jewish domination by the Roman general Pompey when he occupied Palestine in 63 B.C.
The ruins of the village Khersa (Gerasa) probably point to this site which is in the district of Gadara some six miles southeastward, not to the city of Gerasa some thirty miles away.
Greek manuscripts are divided on the precise location involved, citing three names: Gadarenes (Matt. 8:28), Gergesenes (from Origen), and Gerasenes. (See comments on Luke 8:26). Reliable evidence favors the name Gerasenes which probably referred to the small town Gersa (modern Khersa) located on the lake’s eastern shore. Most of its inhabitants were Gentiles (cf. Mark 5:11, 19).
Pliny the Elder lists them as follows: Damascus, Philadelphia, Raphana, Scythopolis, Gadara, Hippos, Dion, Pella, Gerasa, and Canatha (Harper’s Bible Dictionary 215).